It's the way the world works.

I am a McDonalds employee, I can tell you that you have to pay the full price of a Happy Meal, including the soda. If you wanted a water too then you should have asked for it seperately. Honestly, if you really didn't want the soda then you could have thrown it away. It's the way the world works. McDonalds has to make money somehow, it's a business. Your situation could have been very easily avoided. For some reason I think that you are just stuborn and bullheaded and weren't even listing to what the crew person was telling you. It's customers like you that make our jobs so much harder. So the next time you walk into a McDonalds, remember crew people don't make the rules they just follow them. If you (customers) don't like it then oh well find another place to eat.